Lemmy Feature/Tribute

There can’t be many rock fans of a certain vintage, whose experience of rock music was not touched in some way by the life and work of Ian Fraser Kilmister, better known, of course, as Lemmy.

Love him or er … not, he was unique – a real one off. Not just iconic, but iconoclastic. He may have been notorious for his appetites, but he was also a smart guy, a man who always had an interesting take on life and a fresh perspective. He lived the way he wanted to live. He kept it real. If you’ve not done so already, check out his autobiography, ‘White Line Fever’. It’ll have you howling at times, and re-evaluating your attitude to life at others. It’s one of my favourite rock books.

His music, like his approach to life, was uncompromising. I always found that Motörhead’s music had a certain charm. I loved the humour and quirkiness as well as the power. Lemmy had a wry wit (“I really like this jacket but the sleeves are much too long” from ‘Back At The Funny Farm’) and was a master of tautological overstatement (‘Killed By Death’). His music was the music of fun, rage and hedonism, all on the same album and all at the same time. Everything louder than everything else! He influenced many and he will be missed.

It was both an honour and a pleasure to be asked to do a feature and tribute to Lemmy with Alan Thompson for his BBC Radio Wales show. Not that it should be a surprise to anyone that Radio Wales would want to pay tribute, especially given Lemmy’s childhood links with Anglesey, the National Assembly for Wales plenary debate he inspired (‘Heroin. Is Lemmy right?’) and the presence in his band for nigh on 30 years of Welsh guitar whizz Phil Campbell.

The piece was broadcast on Sunday 24 January 2016, a few short weeks after Lemmy’s sudden passing. It features music and chat – classic tracks from Hawkwind and Motörhead and a closing song that, I hope, surprised a few people, as it showcases a more sensitive side of Lemmy’s character.